Is a vertical mouse really better?

Today, I noticed an article called "Is the VerticalMouse 2 Worth a Thumbs Up?" on the ExtremeTech web site. (Full disclosure: ExtremeTech publishes my Hacking Digital Cameras book. But I found this article independently from Digg.) It's an interesting article with lot of new fancy pictures of vertical mice. It got my attention, because I use a keyboard and mouse all day long. And even after work at home. Lately, I've been feeling that my hands are getting really tired and uncomfortable during extended use. Whether my hands getting uncomfortable is related to fatigue or carpal tunnel syndrome is debatable. But will a vertical mouse help?

In the article, doctors claim that using the horizontal mouse "with our palms facing down is unnatural and unhealthy, adding extra pressure on the carpal tunnel." It even has a fancy picture to demonstrate the effect.

So to test this theory, I cleared my desk by pushing everything onto the ground, sat straight up with my elbow and forearm resting on the desk, and see where my hands fall naturally. Not surprisingly, the palms fell flat on the table. Why? I gripped the two palms into fists and held it vertically on the tabletop. It feels ok while exerting force. But as soon as I relax and let the hands fall naturally, the fingers opened up and palm laid flat. If I don't let the fist open up all the way, but let the wrist relax, then the whole fist ended up laying flat on the knuckles.

I also tried it with the wrists resting on the desk, but not the forearms. The result is the same. It does seem that the hands have a tendency to lay flat naturally, twisting our forearms. What do you say to that?

Title:Vertical MiceWeblog: Brightlamp Technology Excerpt: The mouse has hardly changed since its initial development. Nowadays we no longer rely on optical technology and modern mice are more ergonomic compared to their boxy predecessors. Now a few companies are turning this traditional image of the mouse upside-down, or should we say sideways... Tracked: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 11:44:45 -0800